Noticeably Quiet
by Cr8zeCorbinFangirl
Summary: Just because Misu usually cold to Shingyouji, doesn't mean he doesn't notice when Shingyouji's suddenly stops appearing around him.
1. Chapter 1

Shingyouji couldn't even feel his body. He saw his arm fall, his keitai blaring the disconnected sound over and over. His face, for the longest time, was frozen in shock.

He could feel the tears, finally, in his eyes. His lower lip was trembling and in a moment, he tipped over and was crying into his pillow.

This wasn't what he wanted. He came to Shidou so his parents could _fix_ their marriage, not end it. But hearing that bureaucratic, monotone voice saying, "Shingyouji-san, your parents' divorce has been finalized."

"Shingyouji-kun? Are you in here?" Shingyouji jumped up, turning around. He brushed the tears off his cheeks almost angrily.

"Hey, why didn't you say anything? I've been calling for the past five minutes." His roommate said, looking about his side of the room. Shingyouji said nothing back, rubbing his nose raw to not dribble out his nostrils. "Hey…are you okay?"

Shingyouji cleared his throat. He turned around, smiling from cheek to cheek. "Yea, I'm fine. I'll…I'll be right back." He swung his legs around and when they hit the ground, he ran out his room.

Deep in the night, the floor's bathrooms were empty. And that's just what Shingyouji wanted. The tears cascaded much quicker down his face and the sobs were even louder – echoing against the linoleum.

Because nobody could hear him.


	2. Chapter 2

Misu walked into the bustling cafeteria and immediately, he was annoyed. His favorite spot by the window was taken by a group of common third-years. But a broader sweep of this room and he noticed Shingyouji eating alone.

He took his tea and simple spaghetti lunch and sat a few chairs down from Shingyouji. In his peripheral, he noticed that Shingyouji noticed him. But it was the wrong sort of noticing – Shingyouji glanced up to see _who_ it was caught his attention, rather than to look at Misu. Wherefore thereafter, he looked back down and continued to pick at his food.

Misu didn't show that it bothered him. But in that same peripheral, he noticed…this wasn't the Shingyouji he knew. The bright-eyed, high energy brat that stood faithfully at his side, was not the student seats down from him.

In silence [well, silence between them] a few minutes passed. Shingyouji finally stood and brought his (full) tray to the garbage and threw it out. Misu watched confused, eyes _trained _ on Shingyouji when the first-year trudged out the cafeteria. His head whipped around and those eyes followed the younger walking down the campus.

Now that was just out of the strange. Never had Shingyouji _not_ said one word to him. Even before Tanabata, Shingyouji still spoke to him.

Misu leaned into his chair and stared at his half-eaten meal. He wasn't all that hungry when he walked in, but seeing Shingyouji just throw away his _complete_ meal – he wasn't hungry at all.

Ooji happened to be sick that day, so the student council room was Misu's alone. He finished things without speaking much (after all, no one was there) and just before the clock struck 9:30, he was out, walking back to his room.

Just as he was going up to the 2nd floor by the stairs, a small body hurried past him. "Shingyouji."

For once, things were normal. Shinyouji stopped and turned up to Misu, who stared back at those _sad_ eyes. No, they weren't supposed to be sad.

Shinyouji turned around and went the way he came – quickly at that. "Shingyouji!" It may be late at night, but Misu called out as he always would. Misu tripped over the steps and he followed after the first year nearly at running speed. Shingyouji had the advantage, fleeing first and running more than the head-in-books Misu Arata. And apparently, he used these facts well. Misu saw Shingyouji rush out the dorm doors and he followed. But in the dark of the night, he saw no sight of him.

This was approaching the last straw. In one week, Misu saw less of Shingyouji than he had liked. The cafeteria he could forgive – Shingyouji knew he didn't do much in the public eye. But over this week, Shingyouji hadn't passed by his way – as he would _always_ do between class periods – and he would not stop to speak to him when he grabbed snacks in the _empty_ cafeteria when Misu was getting something to drink.

In fact, in the student council, Shingyouji hadn't come.

Misu had no choice but to turn around to his dorm. No notice came to the crying on the wind.


	3. Chapter 3

With Hayama, Saki, and Akaike did Misu walk the school grounds. Hayama played the pliant boyfriend, listening close to the decision-making conversation of the others. And though he took no part of it himself, Hayama probably paid more attention to the conversation than Misu did.

Saki seemed to be done with the conversation (as he proceeded to display his affection on Hayama) which left Misu's eyes to wander in front of him. Where, incidentally, Shingyouji was passing.

And then stopping. And then clutching at his chest. And then gasping. And then falling to his knees.

Misu could feel his heart stop in worry – a counter to his legs. They ran like no one mattered. (He wouldn't admit it out loud, but no one but Shingyouji really ever did.) The kouhais (smart buggers) stepped themselves out of the wall. So when he approached the growing group of first-years, his eyes focued directly on his pet.

"Shingyouji…" He trampled. By Shingyouji's side he fell, hands reaching out to touch – one at his side and one of his back. Shingyouji's breath, it was shallow – like a fish out of water _exactly_. His body jumped, shaking without any sign of stopping – it even shook Misu's hand. "Oi, Shingyouji. What's wrong with you? Shingyouji?"

It was only one week. How had his pet gotten so sick so quickly?

"Arata…san…" The name was forced out, painful and out of breath. But the pain…it didn't last long. Not when Shingyouji's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he passed out.

"Shingyouji? Oi! Shingyouji!" The still body, now against his chest, continued to shake as Misu jostled his shoulder, thinking maybe that would wake him up miraculously.

"Oi, Misu. What happened here?" Saki appeared behind him, gaze somewhere between curious and actually worried.

"I'm not sure exactly. Help me take him to Nakayama-sensei." Saki nodded, kneeling down for Misu to lay Shingyouji across his back.

Nakayama-sensei's prognostic took no time at all when they lay Shingyouji down in the bed. "He'll be fien when he wakes up. Just make sure he has something to eat soon after and he isn't stressed."

"Yes, sensei."

The old man looked at Misu over his glasses. "Now, Misu-kun, I want to ask for _your_ opinion on what has happened to Shingyouji-san."

"Sensei?"

"Think about it, Misu-kun – hyperventilation, mild convulsions, increased heartbeat – if a patient came in with these symptoms, what would you believe happened?"

Misu's own heart clenched and he looked Shingyouji in the bed. "A panic attack." Nakayama-sensei nodded, looking at Shingyouji himself. Misu subtly nodded and raised his head. "I'll be with him when he wakes up." Nakayama-sensei nodded back and left Misu alone.

He hadn't seen the slight twitch of Shingyouji's fingers. But Misu had. It would only be a few moments now and Misu sat in a chair by the bed. He waited patiently, yet anxiously at the same time. Just as when they would sleep together, Shingyouji's fingers slowly flexed and when he flexed all ten, his eyes opened. They looked about to gather his bearings and surroundings. There was so much a ceiling could tell him – he needed to sit up. And when he did…he realized there was somebody here. Somebody he didn't want to be here.

"Arata-san." He whispered. But Misu's ears were trained to _always_ hear it. And Misu surprised him – holding his hand. Smoothing down the skin on the back of it. "You seem to have calmed down. Must've been a nice nap."

Shingyouji's eyes were trained on their hands. "Ah…" Slowly he looked up…and connected with Misu's. He blushed and instead, looked around the small office. "Did you bring me here?"

"Saki did."

"Oh…" Shingyouji fidgeted. He pulled his hand away, using it to pull away the comforter. "Well…I'll have to thank him."

"Shingyouji." Another oddity – Shingyouji would usually look at him when he addressed him. Shingyouji only stared at the floor. "What's wrong with you? Who do you think you are to avoid me?"

Shingyouji forced a smile – the same laugh when he denied him Tanabata. "What are you talking about, Arata-san? I haven't been avoiding you. You're thinking too much. I've just…been busy.." Shingyouji stood up like a rocket. "I have to say thank you to Senpai."

Shingyouji passed Misu and his wrist was grasped enough that moving forward would cause a scene. "Shingyouji." He repeated. It was even softer, but Shingyouji still would not look over to Misu.

Misu stood finally and Shingyouji could feel his chest against his back. What Misu was about to do, he thought as he wrapped his arms around the younger, he did as a last resort. Hopefully it would work.

"Kanemitsu."

He felt Shingyouji freeze in his arms – tense and alert. _Nobody_ called him Kanemitsu. The lawyer even called him "Shingyouji-san."

"Tell me what's going on." Misu's voice – it was the gentlest of Shingyouji ever hearing it.

"_Dekinai._"

Misu rose an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Because…because after I met you, I promised I would never be a crybaby ever again." The tears were in his voice and probably, Misu would bet, they were in his eyes, too. "But…this…I can't…" He sniffled. "So…until I can get over this…I can't see you."

Misu breathed in. Those arms around Shingyouji turned him around. The tears dribbled out – two of them – and Shingyouji tried to hide them by lowered his head. But Misu pulled up and stared into those eyes. "Shingyouji, I will say this only once." Shingyouji blinked and blinked, waiting, "I am your lover."

These words were loaded and Shingyouji was frozen once more. The tears shined even brighter, waiting for just the right moment to spill. "Talk." He ordered.

Shingyouji's legs gave out beneath him and Misu caught him on the way down. He held back no cries and he sobbed and sobbed. "They just ended it! They didn't even care! They just ended it!"

"Who?"

"My parents. They finalized their divorce. They – they didn't even bother fighting over me!" Shingyouji pounded his fists against the floor. The impact must've hurt, Misu decided, and he pulled Shingyouji closer in to him, to where he couldn't punch anything. The cries continued, though muffled. "Their only child! They didn't even bother! They said…they said I won't be a child when I graduate Shidou. That it was my choice if I want to go home and to who. They…" Shingyouji's voice went soft. The anger was out – his sorrow replacing it. "They didn't even tell me. My mom's lawyer told me." Misu buried him further and further in his chest – away from the pain. "They didn't care. They don't care."

Misu let him cry for a few moments more; by then the sobs and crying were sniffles and a few hiccups. Shingyouji pulled away, looking up with those puppy dog eyes (that Misu adored.)

His lips claimed, it wasn't like the passionate kisses that his Arata-san allowed him to experience. It was chaste, gentle – like what Saki-senpai gave Hayama-san in public. A small piece of affection that Shingyouji, in all honesty, had missed so much.

Misu held Shingyouji – his pet – still as he pulled away. "I've told you," he said, looking over that face for any tears left to be cried, "you're not allowed to abandon me. Pet."

Shingyouji's cheeks flushed and he looked away. "I'm sorry, Arata-san." Misu smirked. He angled his head so that he could give Shingyouji the kind of kiss he _wanted_ to give.


End file.
